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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. swing — in golf
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. prune — to trim
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. mine — for digging
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. cap — a lid
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. craft — a skill
  13. cap — a hat
  14. swing — to play on
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. craft — boats
  17. dip — to sink
  18. prune — to trim
  19. swing — music
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. deal — to handle
  22. fork — in a road
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. prune — the fruit

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com